Valve structure for compressors



April 9, 1929. E. H. STEEDMAN 1,708,158

7 VALVE STRUCTURE FOR COMPRESSORS Filed Feb. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l m 9, 1929- E. H. STEEDMAN 3,708,158

VALVE STRUCTURE FOR COMPRESSORS Filed Feb. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 tion.

Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

nnirsn stares EDWIN I-I. STEEDMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ING COMPANY, OF WELLSTON, MISSOURI,

ASSIGNOR TO CURTIS MAN UFACTUR- A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

VALVE STRUCTURE FOR COMPRESSORS.

Application filed February 6, 1928. Serial No. 252,301.

This invention relates to'valve structures for compressors of the general type described in my pending application for patent Serial No. 206,010, filed July 15, 1927.

One object of my present invention is to provide a valve structure that embodies the essential features and distinguishing characteristics of the valve structure described in my said pending application for patent,but which is equipped with an abutment member for the inlet valve of diiferent construction and arrangement than the one shown in said application. V

Another object is to provide a means of different construction and arrangement for dislodging the abutment member for the discharge valve, the said abutment member being capable of being separated from the valve seat member and bodily removed from the cylinder head without dislodging the valve seat member. Other objects and desirable features of my invention .will be hereinafter pointed out.

F igure' 1 of the drawings is a vertical sectional view of a valvev structure embodying my present invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View, taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the'arrows.

Figure 3 taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figiuj-c t is a vertical sectional view, illustrating another form of my present inven- Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the abutment member for the discharge valve, taken on approximately the line 55 of Figure 4, looking upwardly.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the valve seat member, taken on approximately the line66 ofFigure 4, looking downwardly; and

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 7.7 of Figure l, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, with the inlet valve removed so as to. more clearly illustrate the construction of the abutment member for said valve.

In Figure 1 of the drawings B designates the head of the cylinder of a compressor, 1 designates an intake passageway or chamber in said head which is herein illustrated as terminating in the bottom face of the head so that it will communicate with a suethe valve seat member C. is a horizontal sectional View,

which the medium compressed tion passageway or intake passageway formed in the cylinder casting, and 2 designates a discharge passageway or chamber in the head B, which is herein illustrated as terminating in the bottom face of the head, so that it will communicate with a discharge chamber or passageway in the cylinder casting. A valve structure that comprises an inlet valve, a discharge valve, a valve seat member and abutment members for the valves, is 'removably mounted in a bore in the center of the cylinder head, said head being provided with a removable cap piece or cover plate l that is retained in operative position by any suitable means, as, for eX- ample, by fastening devices 5 that are screwed into the head.

The valve structure just referred to is composed of a valve seat'member C of annular form whose center opening 6 constitutes an inlet port, said member C having an annular row of discharge ports 7 arranged in concentric relation with the inlet port 6, as shown in Figure 3. An inlet valve D, which consists of a flat disk, acts on a flat seat on the underside of the valve seat member C, and a discharge valve E, which is of annular form, acts on valve seats on the top side of Valve abutment members F and G are arranged belowand above the valve seat member C, so as to limit the movement of the valves away from their seats.

The abutement member F for the inletvalve can either be formed integral with the cylinder head B, or it can consist of a separate element pressed into a hole in the bottom face of the cylinder head or connected to said head in any other suitable way. Said abutment member F is provided with a diskshaped solid central portion, 8 whose upper side is constructed so as to serve as a pocket 8 for the spring D which holds the inletvalve'seated, and at the periphery of the central portion 8 of said abutment member are a plurality of radially-disposed arms 9 which are arranged in spaced relation, as shown in Figure 2, so that the spaces 10 between said arms will serve as an inlet passage for the air entering the cylinder, and a discharge passageway through in the cylinder can escape into the discharge ports 7 in the valve seat member. The laterally-projecting arms 9 on the valve abutment memher F are'provided with upwardly-project ing portions whose inner edges'serve as lat- 'eral guides for the peripheral edge of the of said member registersor aligns with the center opening 6 of the valve seat member C.v Said abut'n'ient memberG is provided on its underside with an annular flange 12 that bears on the top face of thevalve seat member O at a point betweenthe'inlet port (3 and discharge ports 7 in'the valve s'eatmenr her so as to clamp the underside of the valve seat member C tightly-against a shoulder 13 on the cylinder head. of that portion of the abutment member G which surrounds. or projects laterally from, the annular flange 12 on sa1d member is spaced away from the top face of the valve seat member C, so as to provide for the vertical movement of the discharge valve E towards and away from its seat. The

that holds the discharge valve seated is arrangedin a pocket 14 on the underside of the abutment member Gr, as shown in'Figure 1', andthe cylindrical outer surface of the depending flange 12 on said member is used as a guide for the discharge valve E, thereby holding said valve in operative relationship with the ports 7. Thesprings that are associatedwith the inlet valve and discharge valve can'be of any'preferred type, butthey are herein illustrated as consisting of coiled GXPZLIISIOHSPIlDgS, thespring D" for the m5 let valve being of the spiral type. I

The valve structure above described is retained in operative position in the cylinder head by retaining device which consists of a nut H screwed wall of the bore in the cylinder head and 1 provided at its lower end with an annular portion 16 that acts on packing 17 which is positioned in-an annular space between the abutment memberG and the side wall of the bore in the cylinder'head; As shown ":in Figure 1, the abutment member G has an inclined surface 18 that forms the bottom of the annular space in which the packingl'i is'positioned. When the nut His screwed downwardly, the-packing 17 is compressed and forced tightly' against the walls of the ment member GE is forced downwardly against the valve seat'member C, thereby causing said valve seat Vmember to be c provided for same on the cylinder head; This clamped tightly against the shoulder 13 produces an air-tight joint'betweenthe upper surface of the valveseatmembe'r C and,

the annular flange 12 on the abutment inemv ber G, and it also produces agas tight joint C. "The abutment member. G for a The bottom face spring into threads 15 on the side; I

that there is less tendency for the abutment between the cylinder head and abutment member G. In order that the abutment member G maybe dislodged and'removed easily from the cylinderhead, said member.

' is 'provide'dat its upper end with a laterally flange '19"tha't' laps over a por-' ly-projecting tion of the unt l-l, so that when said nut H is backed off or screwed upwardly out of the *iead,;it will engage the flange 19 and exert an upward thrust on the abutment member 6', thereby causing said member-ate be dislodged or disengaged from the valveseat member (1.. After has been withdrawn from the bore in the cylinder head, the valve seat member C can be removed from said bore. The laterallyprojecting flange 19 at the upper end abutmentmember G can .be formed conveniently. by afianged nutthatisconnected with said vrbutment member by a screw thread of opposite hand from the thread on thenut H that is screwed into the thread: 15 on the cylinder head. In order-that the valve seat'member C will automatcally locate itself in the cylinder head when said member is being installed, the head is provided with a plurality .of vertically-disposed, spaced guides 2 againstwhich the peripheral edge of said valve bears when it is being installed. a

A valve structure of the kind abovexdescribed hasfew parts it is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to maintain in an operative condition; it can be installed or removed easily from the cylinder'head with out breaking any pipe connectionsritis of such design that valves of large area can be easily installed in a cylinder of relatively small diameter g'itis of such design thatthe valves have maximum effective openings with minimum clearance; and itis an improvement on the valve structure shown in my said pending application for patentg in member for the inlet valve to warp and the valve seat member has one less joint that is liable to leak, due to the fact that said abutment member is permanently mounted in the cylinder head and is separable from the valve seat member instead of being clamped to the valve seat member by a bolt thatpasses through the center of the same.

In Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings 1 have illustrated another form of my invention, wherein the parts which are the same space in which it 1s arranged, and the abutas the parts of the structure shown inFig erence characters. Figure 4, however, is providedwith an annular inlet valve D and "both the inlet,

valve and the discharge valve are so arrange that the air or other, medium operated on by the compressor can'flow over the inner and outer edges of both valves. Thus,as shown in Figure 4, the inner edge of the 'he abutment member G ofjthe i seat member discharge valve E is held spaced away from the annular flange 12 on the abutment member G by a plurality of vertically-disposed ribs-20 on the outer side of said flange that are arranged in spaced relation and which serve as guides for the inner edge of said valve. The ribs 20 merge into horizontallydisposed ribs 21 on the underside of the abutment member G that serve as stops for the discharge valve, and" which insure said valve assuming such a position when'it is wide open that the air or medium escaping from the cylinder can pass upwardly over the inner edge of the discharge valve, and thence laterally over the top face of'said valve.

Similarly, the air or other medium that is drawn into the cylinder of the compressor flows over the inner and outer edges of the annular inlet valve D In order'to attain this result it is necessary to use a valve seat member and an abutment member for the inlet valve which are of slightly different construction from those used in the form of my invention illustrated in Figure 1. Thus, the valve seat'memberC shown in Figure l, is provided with a solid central portion 22 of greater diameter than the diameter of the center opening in the inlet valve. D and said valve seat member is also provided with a plurality of inlet passageways 6 which are located between the solid central portion 22, and the annular portion of said member in which the dis-j charge ports 7 are formed. The abutment member F for the inlet valve is alsoprovided with a center opening 10 as shown 111 Figure 7, which constitutes an inlet opening in addition to the openings 10 between the arms 9 on said abutment member which guide the. inlet valve during its movement towards and away from its seat.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: c I

1. In a compressor, the'combination of a cylinder head provided with a bore, a removable valve structure in said head comprising a substantially disk-shaped valve seat member arranged adjacent the inner end of the bore in engagement with a supporting surface on the head, valves which act on seats on the top and bottom faces of said valve seat member for controlling inlet and outlet ports in said member, an abutmentmember for the bottom valve, separable from the valve seat member and permanently mounted in the head below the valve seat member, a separate abutment member for the top valve removablyfl mounted in said bore above the valve seat member, and a retaining device detachably connected to the head and arranged to 00- act with a packing to produce a tight joint betweenthe head and the top abutment member and also cause the valve seat Inemberto be clamped tightly against the supporting surface on the head.

2. In a compressor, the combination of a cylinder head provided with a bore, a removable valve structure in said head comprising a substantially disk-shaped valve seat member arranged. adjacent the inner end of the bore in en agement with a supporting surf-ace on the head, valves which act on seats on the top and bottom faces of said valve seat member for controlling inlet head and arranged to expand said packing and exert pressure on the top abutment member in a direction to cause it to clamp the valve seat member tightly against the supporting surface on the head, springs for the valves arranged in pockets in the abutment members, and guides on said abutment members for the valves. 7

3. In acompressor, the combination of a cylinder head provided with a bore, a removable valve structure in said head comprising a substantially dislrshaped valve seat member arranged adjacent the inner end of the bore in engagement with a supporting surface on the head, valves whichact 011' seats on the top and bottom faces of said valve seat member for controlling inlet and out let ports in said member, an abutment member for the bottom valve permanently mounted in the head and having no direct connection with the valve member,

separate abutment nember for the top valve rcmovably mounted in said here above the valve seat member, a retaining device detachably connected to the head and arranged to exert pressure on the top abutment member in a direction to cause it to clamp the valve seat member tightly against the supporting surface on the head, packing between the top abutment member and the cylinder head arranged so as to be forced tightly against said parts by the retaining device, and a lateral projection on the top abutment member arranged so that said retaining device will engage the same, and thus dislodge said top abutmentmember when the retain-' ing device is removed from the head.

4-. In a compressor, the combination of a face on thehead, valves that act on seats on the top and bottom faces of said valve'seat member and control inlet and outlet-ports in said member, a bottom valve abutment member permanently mounted in, the head below the valve seatmember and provided with a plurality of spaced, upwardly-projecting guides that co-operate with the peripheral edge of the bottom valve, said abutment member having openings or passageways in same, a top valve abutment member ar ranged above the valve'seat member, a re-' taming device for the valve structure detachably connected to the head, and packing arranged between the head and the top abutment member that adapted to be forced tightly against said parts by the retaining device. 7 y e V 5. In a compressor, the combination of a cylinder head provided with a bore, a removable valve structure in said head comprising a substantially disk-shaped valve seat member arranged ad1acent the 1111161- end of said bore in engagement with a sup.-

porting surface on the head, vvalves that act on seatson the top and bottom faces of said valve seat member and control inlet and outlet ports in said member, a bottom valve abutment member permanently mounted in the head below the valve seat member and separable from the valve seat member in the operation of removing the valve structure, a plurality of spaced, upwardly pio jecting guides on said abutment member thatco-operate' with the peripheral, edge of they bottom valve, said abutment 'member havingopenings or passageways in same, a top va-lve'abutinent member arranged above the valve seat member, a retaining device for the valve structure screwed into the head and provided with a portion that is adapted to act upon a packing interposed between the head and the top abutment member and force the packing tightly againstsaid parts,

and a part screwed into the top abutment member and adapted to eo-operate'Withthe retaining device to dislodge the top abutment member during the operation of re moving the retaining device from the head.

iyvoaise:

6. In a compressor, the combinationo'lia cylinder head provided with a bore, a remov able valve structure in said head comprising a substantially fiat valve seat member arranged in said bore in engagement with a ing a tight joint between the head and the top abutment member top abutment member member tightly against the-shoulder 'providedfor same onthe cylinderhead.

' 7 In a compressor,the combination of a and for causing said cylinder head provided with a bore, a re-' to hold the valve seat movable valve structure in said head com prising a substantially disk-shaped valve seat member arranged adjacent the nner end'of said bore in engagement withga shoul;

der on the head, an annular inlet valve that acts on a seat on theund'erside' of the valve seat member, an annular discharge valve that acts on a seat on the top vface oisaid valve seat member, springs for said valves, an

abutment member for the inlet valve per-ma nei itly: niou1ite :l in the head, an abutment member for the dischargevalve removably mounted in said bore, pockets in the abutment nenibers for the valve springs, and a means for forming a tight joint between the head and the top abutment member and for causingsaid top abutment member to beai" tightly against the valve seat member and. h'oldthesame tightly against the said shoulder on the cylinder head, said abutment members having guides for the valves arranged so that the medium drawn into or discharged from the cylinder of the compressor can flow over the inner and outer edgesof thevalves. I I

" EDWIN rigs'rnnnivnin. 

